Wire clamping tool



Nov. 1, 1955 G. E. INGRAM 2,722,005

WIRE CLAMPING TOOL.

Filed Feb. 19, 1953 INVENTOR. GAE/V 1f. //V6R4M United States PatentWIRE CLAMPING TOOL Glen E. Ingram, Sioux Rapids, Iowa ApplicationFebruary 19, 1953, Serial No. 337,745

4 Claims. (Cl. 1-210) This invention relates generally to wire bendingtools and more particularly to a wire bending or clamping tool forapplying wire clips to fence posts so as to clamp fence wires to suchposts.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved tool for applyingwire clips to fence posts so as to hold fence wire on such fence posts.

A further object of this invention is to provide a wire clamping toolwhich is adapted to releasably hold a wire a clip in a position to beassembled with a fence post and a fence wire to be supported thereon bythe clip.

Another object of this invention is to provide a wire clamping toolwhich is operated to assemble a wire clip about a fence wire and asupporting post therefor by a small swinging movement of the toolrelative to the post.

A further object of this invention is to provide a wire clip holding andclamping tool for applying wire clips to fence posts in which the toolis operated by a pivotal movement about the fence post as a fulcrum.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a Wire clip holdingand clamping tool which is rugged in construction, economical tomanufacture, and efficient in operation to easily and quickly apply wireclips to support fence wire on fence posts.

Further objects, features and advantages of this in vention will becomeapparent from a. consideration of the following description when takenin connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the wire clamping tool of this inventionshown in assembly relation with a fence post and in a position to bend awire clip about the fence post so as to hold a fence wire on the post;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the wire clamping tool;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view looking along the line 3-3 in Fig.1;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the wire clamping tool applied to afence post and showing the tool after the same has been operated so asto bend a wire clip to sup port a fence wire on the fence post; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the wire clip which is used with thewire clamping tool of this invention.

With reference to the drawing, the wire clamping and holding tool ofthis invention is shown at in Fig. 1 applied to a fence post 11 forsupporting a fence wire 12. The tool 10 is used on wire clips 13 (Figs.1 and 3) to first position a clip about the fence post 11 and then bendthe clip about the fence wire 12 to support the wire from the post 11.

The tool 10 (Figs. 1 and 2) includes a body member 15 having anelongated handle section 14 and a head section 17 formed at the workingend 16 of the tool. The head section 17 is of a substantially V-shapeand consists of a pair of diverged jaw members 18 formed at their outeror free ends 19 with reversely bent hook portions 21 projected laterallyfrom the side 20 of the handle section 14. The hook portions 21 arearranged at opposite sides of the handle section 14 in planessubstantially parallel to the plane of the handle section 14. The

free ends of the hook portions 21 terminate in surfaces 22 normal to theplanes of the hook portions 21 and formed with wire clip receivinggrooves 23 arranged in the planes of the hook portions 21.

Mounted on the side 20 of the handle member 14 (Figs. 3 and 4) at aposition adjacent the hook portions 21, is a tubular guide member 24open at the end 26 thereof which faces the hook portions 21 and closedat its opposite end 27. Guidably received in the guide member 24 is aspring pressed clip holding member 29 having one end 31 projectedoutwardly from the open end 26 of the guide member 24. The projected end31 of the holding member 29 terminates in a fiat face 33 (Fig. 3) whichis formed with a clip receiving groove 34 positioned normal to the clipreceiving grooves 23 on the hook portions 21.

A coil spring 36, for biasing the holding member 29 outwardly from theguide member 24, is arranged in compression between the closed end 27 ofthe guide member 24 and the inner end 39 of the holding member 29. Thisoutward biasing action on the holding member 29 is limited by theprovision of a stop pin 38 extended transversely through the guidemember 24 for riding engagement within a longitudinally extended notchor slot 37 formed in the holding member 29. In other words the holdingmember 29 is movable longitudinally of the guide member 24 a distancedefined by the engagement of the pin 38 with opposite ends 41 and 42 ofthe slot 37.

The wire clamping tool 10 of this invention is particularly useful inclamping fence wires 12 to fence posts 11 which are of a substantiallyT-shape in transverse section (Fig. 1). Such fence posts 11 include aleg 43 and a cross arm 44 perpendicular to the leg 43 and extended inopposite directions from the leg 43. The outer surface 46 (Figs. 3 and4) of the cross arm 44 is of a corrugated contour, namely, formed withalternately arranged depressions 47 and extensions 48 for preventing afence wire 12 from slipping downwardly on the fence post 11.

In applying a clip 13 to a fence post 11 by means of the wire clampingtool 10, the clip 13 is first received on the tool 10 between theholding member 29 and the hook portions 21 of the jaw members 18. A clip13 (Fig. 5) is of a generally U-shape having a base portion 49 and apair of diverged leg portions 51 terminating at their free ends inparallel extensions 52 projected laterally in the same direction fromthe plane of the wire clip 13.

A clip 13 is received or loaded in the tool 10 by positioning the baseportion 49 of the clip 13 in the groove 34 formed in the outer end ofthe clip holding member 29 (Fig. 3) with the extensions 52 faced awayfrom the side 20 of the tool handle 14 and adjacent to the hook portions21. The clip 13 and the holding member 29 are then moved as a unitagainst the bias of the spring 36, to a position providing for thereception of the extensions 52 within the vertical grooves 23 formed inthe hook portions 21. The spring 36 then functions to releasablymaintain the clip 13 in a clamped position between the clip holdingmember 29 and the jaw hook portions 21.

With the clip 13 thus releasably held, the tool 10 is manipulated toposition the jaws 18 at opposite sides of the post 11, as shown in Figs.1 and 3, such that the free end of the fence post leg 43 is adjacent thejunction 32 of the jaws 18 to provide for the location of the fence wire12, to be secured, at the junctions 55 of the clip legs 51 with theircorresponding extensions 52. It is seen, therefore, that the jaws 18 aregreater in length than the width of the leg 43 of the post 11 so thatthe leg 43 is arranged between the junction 32 of the jaws 18 and thehook portions 21. Also, it will be noted that the base 49 of the clip 13is adjacent the junction 32 of the jaws 18 so as to be in a positionopposite from, and close to, the free end of the post leg 43. With thetool in a substantially horizontal position, with the handle 14 extendedfrom the leg 43 of the post 11, the leg extensions 52 of the clip 13project vertically, or longitudinally of the post 11 The fence wire 12(Fig. 4) which is to be supported on the fence post 11, extendstransversely of the post 11 within one of the grooves 47 formed in thesurface 46 of the post 11, so as to be between the post 11 and the legextensions 52 of the clip 13. The handle section 14 of the tool 10 isthen swung or pivoted upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 3, about a projection53 extended laterally from the side 56 of the handle 14 at the junction32 of the jaws 18. This projection 53 is in bearing engagement with thefree end of the post leg 43, and thus functions as a fulcrum for thepivotal movement of the tool 10. As the tool 10 is pivoted about theprojection 53, the base portion 49 of the clip 13 is moved out of theholding member 29 and the hook portions 21 of the jaws 18 are movedtoward the post 11 to positions at opposite sides of the post 11. Suchmovement of the hook portions 21 bends the leg extensions 52 of the clip13 about the wire 12. Concurrently with this bending of the extensions52, the base portion 49 of the clip 13 is moved into contact with thefence post leg 43. As a result the wire 12 is positively held within acorrugation or depression 47 by virtue of I its reception within a pairof loops or hooks 54 formed by the clip legs 51 and their correspondingextensions 52, and the retention of the clip 13 against movementtransversely of the post 11 by the engagement of the hooks 54 with thewire 12 and the clip base section 49 with the post 11 at the free end ofthe leg 43.

The tool 10 is disengaged from the wire 12 and fence post 11, for clipreloading purposes, by merely returning the tool to a horizontalposition and then moving the hook portions 21 away from the supportedwire 12.

It is seen therefore that this invention provides a wire clip holdingand clamping tool 10 that releasably holds a clip 13 and which is easilyoperated to apply the wire clip 13 to a fence post 11 so as to secure afence wire 12 to the fence post 11. As best appears from a considerationof Figs. 3 and 4, only a relatively small angular or pivotal swingingmovement of the tool 10 about the fulcrum 53 is required to bend theclip 13 to form the loops 54. By virtue of the clip 13 being releasablysupported on the tool 10, before the tool 10 is engaged with the fencepost 11, and the releasing of the clip from the tool concurrently withthe securing thereof to a fence post and associated fence wire, theoverall wire securing operation is conveniently and quicklyaccomplished.

Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferredembodiment thereof, it is to be understood that it is not to be solimited since changes can be made therein which are within the fullintended scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tool for applying a wire clipto a fence post and a fence wire tosupport the fence wire on one side of the post, said tool comprising abody member having a head section and an elongated handle section, meanson said head section for releasably holding a wire clip. and a portionon said body member for engaging the opposite side of said fence post,with said wire clip being concurrently released from said holding meansand applied to said post and fence wire on pivotal movement of the bodymember in one direction about said engaging portion as a fulcrum.

2. A clamping tool for applying a wire clip to a fence post to clamp afence wire to said post, wherein the clip is of a generally U-shapehaving leg portions and a base portion and with the leg portionsterminating in laterally projected extensions; said tool comprising abody member having a pair of diverged jaws for straddling said post,laterally extended portions formed at the outer ends of said jaws forengaging the leg extensions of the clip, yieldable means on said bodymember engageable with the base portion of said clip to releasably holdsaid clip on said tool at a position extended between the yieldablemeans and said laterally extended portions, and a bearing portion at thejunction of said jaws engageable with said post when said jaws are in astraddling relation with the post, whereby on pivotal movement of saidbody member on said bearing portion, said laterally projected extensionsare bent about a fence wire for said post.

3. A wire clamping tool for applying wire clips to fence posts to clampfence wires to the fence posts, said tool comprising a body memberhaving an elongated handle section, and a bifurcated head section, withthe bifurcations of said head section terminating in laterally extendedclip engaging portions having grooves formed therein, a clip holdingmember, means on said handle section opposite said clip engagingportions movably supporting said holding member for movement toward andaway from said clip engaging portions, and means associated with saidsupporting means for biasing said holding member toward said clipengaging portions whereby a clip is releasably held on said body memberbetween said holding member and said clip engaging portions at thegrooves formed therein.

4. A clamping tool for applying a wire clip to a fence post to clamp afence wire to said post, wherein the clip is of a generally U-shapehaving leg portions and a base portion and with the free ends of the legportions terminating in laterally projected extensions; said toolcomprising a body member having an elongated handle section and abifurcated head section, with the bifurcations of said head sectionterminating in laterally extended hook portions having grooves formedtherein, a clip holding member, means on the handle section spacedlongitudinally from the hook portions for movably supporting saidholding member for movement toward and away from said hook portions,means associated with said supporting means for biasing said holdingmember toward said hook portions whereby a clip is releasably held onsaid body member with the base portion of the clip engaging the holdingmember and the clip leg exten-- sions engaging the hook portions at thegrooves formed therein, and a bearing portion on said body member at aposition substantially opposite said holding member when the holdingmember is engaged with the clip base portion, said bearing portion beingengageable with said post when said body member is arranged such thatthe bifurcations are in a straddling relation with the post, whereby onpivotal movement of the body member in one direction about said bearingportion as a fulcrum, said clip is concurrently released from saidholding member and applied to said fence post.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS705,504 Whipple July 22, 1902 721,434 Edeburn Feb. 24, 1903 l,846,933Barnes Feb. 23, 1932 2,036,140 Hansen Mar. 31, 1936 2,436,278 WillettFeb. 17, 1948 2,622,634 Hill Dec. 23, 1952

